Woodside Priory School • SAT · ACT · PSAT
The ACT changed in 2025; Science is now optional and does not count toward the composite. Michael assesses both tests during the free trial and recommends based on actual performance.
Woodside Priory's academic calendar, residential culture, and Benedictine structure create students who manage time deliberately and work within a framework. That disposition maps well to standardized test strategy. The SAT and ACT have consistent formats, consistent timing, and consistent question types, a student who can learn and apply a systematic approach performs better than one who treats each question as an improvisation.
Michael's Mr. Test Prep Method™ is built around exactly this: identifying the patterns and strategies that are consistent across test questions, and drilling them until execution becomes automatic rather than effortful. For Priory students accustomed to the structure of Benedictine academic life, this approach tends to feel natural.
The Priory's college list often includes Georgetown, Notre Dame, Santa Clara University, and a mix of liberal arts and Jesuit-affiliated universities, schools where strong test performance can matter and where the Priory's character-based education is valued alongside academic achievement. Georgetown requires standardized test scores. Notre Dame requires them. Santa Clara University's current policy should be verified directly on their admissions page, as requirements have evolved.
One logistical note: Woodside Priory boarding students taking SAT or ACT exams register at the closest available testing center rather than at their school. Menlo-Atherton High School and Palo Alto High School are the nearest major test centers. Bay Area centers fill quickly. Priory students and families should register on the first day the test registration window opens, which is typically several months before the test date.
The Trial Session
The free trial on Zoom includes a diagnostic, direct work with Michael, and a follow-up call with both student and parent. Michael presents a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic. No financial commitment until both sides agree.
Every Session
Sessions are two hours long and combine individualized coaching, structured practice, and timed work using official SAT and ACT material. Students stay actively engaged while receiving ongoing guidance and feedback from Michael throughout the session. No homework.
The Guarantee
Students who complete the agreed program and are not satisfied with their results continue at no additional cost after the agreed session cap until they are satisfied or available testing opportunities have been exhausted.
The Mr. Test Prep Method™ builds the execution strategies and pattern recognition that transfer directly to test conditions. A-Game Access™ is the mindfulness and peak performance system built into every session — addressing the gap between practice performance and test-day performance.
The diagnostic produces a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic.
Priory boarding students have structured and demanding schedules. The no-homework policy means the program adds no burden outside of session time. Everything happens inside the two-hour Zoom session.
The trial is a two-hour Zoom session where your student works through a diagnostic with guidance and feedback from Michael throughout. Afterward Michael calls both student and parent with a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic.
The trial is free with no obligation to continue.